Overseas dental care a draw for some patients

For two implants and two crowns, Raife Nopson faced more than $15,500 in dental expenses. Her insurance only covered $1,500, so the Williamsburg resident did her Internet research and landed on Ocean Dental in Cancun, Mexico. The clinic offered the same work for $5,500.

Nopson, 58, is among the estimated 750,000 U.S. residents who travel abroad each year to receive medical care. The most common procedures sought outside the country are cosmetic surgery, dentistry and heart surgery — in that order — according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The CDC says many of those patients are immigrants returning home for care. Top destinations include Thailand, Mexico, Singapore and South and Central American countries.

For Nopson, originally from Turkey, the decision was influenced by having a timeshare in Cancun that she and her husband visit twice a year for vacation. She found three dentists and read the reviews. She settled on Ocean Dental, a 21/2-year-old practice owned by Irma Govaldan, who trained in Mexico and has additional credentials from Canada and the United States.

Govaldan, who received her master's in restorative dentistry at the University of Michigan, caters almost exclusively to U.S. and Canadian patients. The clinic's tagline is "U.S. quality at Mexico's price."

Nopson saved $10,000 on the dental procedures, which more than covered her $500 airfare. "Even with a hotel you'd be way ahead of the game," she said. While there she discovered that the clinic also files insurance, so she may benefit from more savings.

Terry Dickinson, executive director of the Virginia Dental Association, a membership organization, acknowledged the attraction of overseas dental care from a financial standpoint. However, he offered several cautions.

"There is some concern about the training in some of these countries," he said. A dentist who formerly practiced in Texas, Dickinson has heard anecdotally of numbers of people going to Mexico and Central America for care. "Then they show up in a U.S. dental office and have to have the work redone," he said.

Dickinson pointed out both different regulations and the difficulty in obtaining any legal recourse overseas. "Here we have a dental board that licenses dentists and protects the public. Other countries don't have the infrastructure," he said.

Raife planned to stay for 10 days in order to have the necessary root canals and complete the work on the crowns.

"I'm expecting to be at the dentist every day," she said before leaving. The clinic has its own lab and a CAD/CAM machine that makes crowns and bridges from porcelain and ceramic, which allows for same-day service. "The machines and all the materials are from Germany," said David Lambarri, who handles patient relations for the clinic. He credited their lower prices to the lower costs of labor and infrastructure in Mexico, but said there's no cutting corners on supplies.

"We're on the Caribbean. A lot (of people) judge dentists in Mexico by the huge amount of dental work in the border states," Lambarri said in a phone interview. "They automatically think they're going to come back with Chiclets for teeth." In fact, he said, "Most of the time when things go wrong it's the patient who didn't follow after-care instructions."

The work the clinic does is typically extensive and Nopson has planned a return visit in September to complete her implant work.

"I'm impressed," she said on her return. "They're very good, very professional."

In the end, she made three visits during her 10-day stay, including six hours on one day, and opted for an additional implant. She didn't experience any pain or problems and the clinic followed up with her after her return. The clinic employs English speakers so communication doesn't pose a problem, said Nopson.

"They don't give you the floss and the toothbrush and all that, but they cut down the cost," said Nopson. "I'd highly recommend it."

Salasky can be reached by phone at 757-247-4784.

Safety tips

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends that those seeking medical or dental care overseas take these precautions: